I got a message tonight from my grandmother that brought me to tears. The older I get the more I realize that my time with my grandparents is dwindling. I can't say enough for my grandparents and think the world of them. They live in Upstate NY and I don't see them very much but when I do it's a real treat.
What kind of a family do you come from?
My mother's side is pretty crazy, but there are 6 kids. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and I wish I knew him better. He was a nurse in Korea and then a locksmith and later became a securities tech. Grandpa loved brass bands and I gained my love for that music from him. When he passed, I got a lot of his cold weather clothes, since those NY winters are brutal. Every time I put on his Carhartt jacket, it's just a special feeling. My grandmother's mother is about to turn 100 and is still kicking. I hope that I'm as tough as she is. A few years ago she needed double hip replacements and the doctor said no, you're too old. After the doctor, much younger than her, died - she got them done. I hope that she makes it to 100, that'd be special.
My dad's side of the family is predominantly where I get most of my traits from. (I'm a spitting image of my father). When my dad was brought home from the hospital, my grandparents had 6 kids under the age of 6 and then added another aunt lol. My grandpa was in the Air Force during the Second War, though at the tail end and he never saw combat. He was a union carpenter for his career, where I get my love for work. My grandma ran for country clerk and sold hunting licenses - and where I get my love for politics. My aunt and uncle, twins, were actually born on the base in Lybia and my uncle is proud to be a true 'African-American'. Nearly all of my aunts and uncles are teachers and so it makes for interesting family reunions. Including me and my two siblings, there are 16 grandkids on that side of the family - 8 boys, 8 girls. I'm in the middle of the pack and it's always a blast.
My great-grandfather from that side of the family was also someone that I really wish that I knew. I remember him as an old man on the old family farm and the uncles shooting guns there at Thanksgiving, and then when he was in the nursing home. We brought our dog once, and I remember him lighting up. Like lots then, he did everything from farming, being a multiple year NY State sheep-shearing champion, game warden, John Deere mechanic (patents on the combine), and such. He's also still got the record for being 'drunker than a skunk' in the county!
They don't make people like that any more, and I'm glad that I've got the extended family that I do. They truly were the greatest generation.
Steve
What kind of a family do you come from?
My mother's side is pretty crazy, but there are 6 kids. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and I wish I knew him better. He was a nurse in Korea and then a locksmith and later became a securities tech. Grandpa loved brass bands and I gained my love for that music from him. When he passed, I got a lot of his cold weather clothes, since those NY winters are brutal. Every time I put on his Carhartt jacket, it's just a special feeling. My grandmother's mother is about to turn 100 and is still kicking. I hope that I'm as tough as she is. A few years ago she needed double hip replacements and the doctor said no, you're too old. After the doctor, much younger than her, died - she got them done. I hope that she makes it to 100, that'd be special.
My dad's side of the family is predominantly where I get most of my traits from. (I'm a spitting image of my father). When my dad was brought home from the hospital, my grandparents had 6 kids under the age of 6 and then added another aunt lol. My grandpa was in the Air Force during the Second War, though at the tail end and he never saw combat. He was a union carpenter for his career, where I get my love for work. My grandma ran for country clerk and sold hunting licenses - and where I get my love for politics. My aunt and uncle, twins, were actually born on the base in Lybia and my uncle is proud to be a true 'African-American'. Nearly all of my aunts and uncles are teachers and so it makes for interesting family reunions. Including me and my two siblings, there are 16 grandkids on that side of the family - 8 boys, 8 girls. I'm in the middle of the pack and it's always a blast.
My great-grandfather from that side of the family was also someone that I really wish that I knew. I remember him as an old man on the old family farm and the uncles shooting guns there at Thanksgiving, and then when he was in the nursing home. We brought our dog once, and I remember him lighting up. Like lots then, he did everything from farming, being a multiple year NY State sheep-shearing champion, game warden, John Deere mechanic (patents on the combine), and such. He's also still got the record for being 'drunker than a skunk' in the county!
They don't make people like that any more, and I'm glad that I've got the extended family that I do. They truly were the greatest generation.
Steve